As sweet as our local cruising waters are, treachery is always just around the corner. In this case it was just around the northwest corner of Shaw Island which, a quick glance at the chart will show, is tricky territory. This sort of thing always happens just when you think you’ve got nothing to worry about. These pictures are from KOMO-TV’s chopper that was overhead minutes after the unfortunate boat-meets-rocks encounter.
It was, indeed, another fabulous weekend. The weather could not have been better. And the crowd of GBs, owners and crews was both extensive and exuberant! Thanks so much to those of you who sent us your photos, and in particular, to Don Prior for his great load of shots! As in the past, we’ve incorporated them in short videos.
Here they are: “HARDWARE” (THE BOATS!), “SOFTWARE” (The people and the party!, “HILARITY ONE” and “…TWO”– Friday evening’s crazy-wild entertainment.
Used to be that a gallon of diesel cost less than a gallon of gasoline. Last summer the two were about equal price-wise. Since then, a gallon of diesel has become 16% more expensive and poised to go higher still. Here’s what NYTimes has to say. Continue reading
…given its low cost and its ease in arming and deploying”…according to a recent federal intelligence(?) assessment.
That’s why the Bush administration is now trying to enlist the country’s 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could be used to deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the country’s 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways. The Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is arming harbor patrols with portable radiological and nuclear-detection equipment, starting here in the Puget Sound area. Continue reading
Oh, oh– check your lines. A worst-case scenario suggest sea levels in Puget Sound could rise more than 4 feet by 2100. This would require a confluence of runaway greenhouse gas emissions…accelerated melting of glaciers on Greenland and Antarctica…and an exaggerated climate response to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
More probable is a sea-level rise of 14 inches in Puget Sound by the start of the next century…still enough to have profound impacts– so says a study by the world’s top climate scientists and policy experts. The group declared global warming “unequivocal” and declared there’s little doubt carbon dioxide and other emissions from cars and industries are largely to blame. “We tried to look at factors that are important locally,” said Philip Mote, research scientist at U of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group.”
Global sea levels are expected to rise between 7 inches and 2 feet by the end of the century, depending largely on the rate that greenhouse gases are pumped into the atmosphere. Sea levels could climb even more if the vast amounts of ice on Greenland and Antarctica melt more rapidly than expected. Another major contributor– water expanding as it warms. But even if all greenhouse-gas emissions were shut off tomorrow, the IPCC says that our oceans will continue warming and expanding for decades. (from article by Sandi Doughton /Seattle Times science reporter. More info: cses.washington.edu/cig).
When it comes to true “pots of gold”, there isn’t a GB 32 owner who doesn’t smile knowingly. And when the rainbows are aligned, confirmation is before your very eyes. Donald Williams saw it last summer…while moored at Fort Flagler State Park…and grabbed his camera in time to come up with living proof. Take a look! PS: Be sure to look closely, that’s not just one rainbow! (And if you have any photos this spectacular…be sure to send them to us).
No, it’s not true. Far as we know they are NOT going to rebuild Seattle’s Hiram Chittenden Locks connecting Puget Sound with the city’s inland lakes and waterways. But oh, boy– if they ever did, wouldn’t this be the way to go! Talk about attracting tourists…Take a look! Continue reading